It’s been wonderful reading the tributes on this memorial website, and seeing how much Dad meant to so many people.

Dad has been a loving, caring and devoted husband to Mum from the day their eyes met at the YMCA. He would ride down every day on his scooter to meet Mum and her friends at the outdoor baths at Port Sunlight, and they would brave the water whether it was sunny, or pouring with rain.  They were married 45 years ago at St Stephen's church in Prenton, not far from here, and they spent their life on the Wirral raising a family, making close friends, working hard and having fun.

He brought that sense of fun into our childhood too. To Steven and me, he's been a true father figure; a guiding light offering advice and support but most of all, we’ve had a lot of fun and a really happy childhood. Birthday parties were always an experience, I recall when I was 8, and Dad had programmed a BBC computer to tell us where to look for presents.  He was always one for improvising, and one summer made us a water slide in the garden from a long sheet of polythene.

He will be remembered for being a lively, energetic Granddad Robbie bringing smiles to Christian, Verity and Maxwell, along with the noisy and messy presents that only a Grandad can give.

Jackie, Kay and Lynne and their families, will fondly remember their fun Uncle Robbie; always the one to invent a game to make special occasions that little bit more special, like trying to build towers with spaghetti, filling this house with stinky smoke from indoor fireworks, and guessing the mystery object in a box using only your fingers through a couple of holes.  I have really fond memories of both families spending many fun times together at Christmas when we were children, with Dad dressed up in his plastic Santa outfit, and giving Kay the shock of her life when she opened the door to Santa.  I know one of Dad’s much loved experiences was his balloon flight with Jackie over Bristol.

Rob was a close brother and friend to Peter, and more of a brother, than brother-in-law, to June and Harry.  I know Dad cherished the increased amount of time spent together with Peter and Kel since retirement, and had some of his fondest moments on holiday with June and Harry.

Bob, as he was known at work, was well respected in his workplace, both at Cammell Lairds and Ferno, and would often go out of his way to help people and fix problems for others.

And to everyone here, you would all agree Rob has been a very special person.

Graham's said how dad is a warm, generous and family person and you will all have many fond memories but let me share just a few more of ours.

To say that dad was good with building things and DIY is an understatement.

For those of you who've had the VIP invite into his loft, you'll have witnessed his great hobby of model railways, and for those who haven’t you can always check out his uploads on YouTube.

Dad has always loved his models. His model boats were a regular feature on New Brighton boating lake, including one with a superman figure, cape flapping behind - clearly with two sons it was either superman or action man.

At one Christmas in Bristol he was caught flying a huge indoor model Airship.  On top of that, we've had rocket launches from Bebington park, robot dogs, radio controlled cars, helicopters and aeroplanes - although they were all short flights either ending up in a tree or the ground. Still, he was proficient at the repairs.

Dad was also well known for his warmth, personality and the ability to throw a great barbecue. Usually starting out in bright sunshine, he was always prepared for the inevitable downpour, although the Heath Robinson, tarpaulin, marquee system often ended with someone getting a drenching, but it was always topped off by a mad firework display.

Towards the end, we were fortunate to be able to share some frank and open discussions, but dad always remained strong, selfless and thoughtful. Dad's first and only thoughts were for the well being of Mum who has remained so strong and supportive throughout a difficult year.

Always keen to help with humour, at one point in the hospital he commented, ' A piece of advice - when you scatter my ashes off the ferry, don't throw them into the wind.'

Dad was full of praise for St John's Hospice, Wirral, where he spent his last couple of weeks. He specifically requested that everyone should know how pleased he was with the care given, friendliness and dedication of the staff and volunteers as well as with the cleanliness of the Hospice and the homely environment. We will always be grateful for those peaceful times he had there.

I think its fair to say that everyone here has had their lives enriched for knowing dad and our memories of him will last forever.

If we can share with you a quote from one of his nieces, Lynne, which made us laugh at a difficult time, summing up dad so poetically and likely to resonate with everyone who is here:

'Uncle Robbie was like a cross between Father Christmas, Inspector Gadget and Gandalf: full of laughter, warm hearted, generous, beardy, and with a bag of party tricks which often ended in a small explosion or at least a loud bang.'

Dad, we all miss you, but we will never forget you. You will be with us always.